


Every moment is a fresh beginning

by supercali



Series: Robron Week 2018 [5]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Robron Week 2018, touch of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 07:31:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercali/pseuds/supercali





	Every moment is a fresh beginning

He finds it by accident. He’s using one of Robert’s old handsets after Gerry attacked his phone with an angle grinder. By accident he said, but it wouldn’t surprise Aaron in the slightest if he’d just wanted to see what a phone looked like after taking an angle grinder to it.

So he’s stuck using an old phone, with a hastily cobbled together list of numbers from Liv and Robert, until he gets his new one.

He was looking for a picture he’d taken earlier in the day, of Paddy covered in feathers after getting in the middle of the pillowfight that April and Leo had started while Aaron had been looking after them. He wanted to show Liv later, to try and make her smile. She’s been distant ever since the sentencing, a community service order, or whatever the current name was for it. It’d b over with in no time and maybe they could get back to normal.

He’d flicked through the random photos on the phone. Perhaps he shouldn’t. He and Robert didn’t have secrets, not anymore, but even so it feels a bit weird. He’s about to close it when the screen changed once more and he stopped.

It was a photo of him, from that first night they spent together, a first night in a hotel. The first time that wasn’t in a barn or the back of a bloody uncomfortable car.

He’s asleep and it must have still been dark, but there’s enough light that it’s clear enough to see. Robert must have woken up before him and taken it. He remembers waking up himself and checking that the older man was still there.

It’s strange, they don’t often talk about back then. It’s not like it’s forbidden or something they’ve agreed on, they just don’t, some of it too painful to rake over again. The photo though, Robert obviously felt something, even back then.

He can’t stop staring at it, remembering that day. They’d stayed late, taking full advantage of the late checkout, but still at the end of it, Robert had gone back to Chrissie, and he’d been alone.

“Aaron?” He looks round, notices the darkening room, he’s obviously been distracted longer than he thought and Robert’s home, right behind him. “What ya doin’?”

He shoves the phone hurriedly into his pocket, jumping to his feet. “Nothing. You want a cuppa?”

“Um, yeah. You’re a bit jumpy. Something happen? Is Liv ok?”

“She’s fine. Helping Mum at the pub for a bit. How’s Vic?”

“Fine. You saw her at lunchtime.” He’s behind him again, at the counter, hugging him, almost as if it’s been days, when at most it’s been three hours since he saw him. He doesn’t relax back like he usually does and Robert pulls away. “Right, there’s something the matter, so we can either keep up the quite frankly tedious small talk, or you can just come out with it.”

“I found this, on your phone.” He pulls it from his pocket, finding the photo again and showing him.

“Ok...I’m not...I’m missing something.”

“Did you...when you went back to Chrissie, did...I always assumed I was just shoved into a box in your mind, I suppose.” He doesn’t even know why it matters or if he cares deep down, but the words are out now, no taking them back. He busies himself with the tea, poking at the teabags with a spoon which he knows annoys Robert, but he likes extra strong tea. “Never mind. I was just surprised to find it, that’s all. You never seemed the type.”

“To what? Have photos of someone I loved?” He can’t tell if Robert is angry or amused, his tone is somewhere strange in the middle.

“Did you? Love me I mean, back then?”

“You know I did. Is this...is it just about the photo? Is there something else. Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” He shakes his head, can’t have him thinking that. It’s him, his head. “We never talk about any of that. Maybe...oh I don’t know.”

“Neither of us were at our best back then, but, if you want to, we can talk.” He takes his hand, mug held in the other, and tugs him gently towards the sofa, moving around until they’re cuddled against each other. He takes the phone from Aaron’s hand staring at the photo again. “That’s a good photo of you, if I say so myself. No wonder I kept it. I was always thinking about you Aaron. Couldn’t stop, even when I tried to, and believe me I tried.”

“Well thanks.” He’s smiling though, because Robert has said it before, but sometimes he needs to hear it again, when the good memories are overshadowed by the bad.

“You know why...I’ve told you why.” It’s barely above a whisper and Aaron turns, rests his hand against Robert’s jaw and reaches up to kiss him.

“I know. I’m just being stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. Maybe we should talk about it more, some of it at least.” Bits of their past were best left alone, buried away. He nods and settles back, lets Robert hold him, still looking at the photo. “You fancy going back there?”

“You what?”

“We could go back, make some new memories. They do a late checkout as I remember.” Aaron snorts. “We could go tonight?”

“You have meetings tomorrow.” They have responsibilities now, none of this spontaneity. He supposes some people might miss it, but he doesn’t, he likes the life they have now, it’s comforting somehow. 

“The weekend then? Liv could stay with your Mum.” He reaches for the phone again. “Could get another photo of you, a matching pair.”

“Idiot.”

“Your idiot though. So what do you say? Fancy a night away with me?”

“I suppose you’ll do.”


End file.
